Rupa Biswas “Disco Jazz” (1982, Ovular Records)
via Piccadilly: After adding a heaped teaspoon of spice to the Piccadilly Records pot with two volumes of “Early Pakistani Dance Music”, Ovular return to the shelves with a red hot reissue of THE Indian disco holy grail. Engineered at Calgary’s Living Room Studios in 1982, “Disco Jazz” was the …
Vincent Ahehehinnou “Best Woman” (1978, Analog Africa)
via Analog Africa: In early 1978, Vincent Ahehehinnou left the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou without explanation. He had been one of their principal vocalist since 1968 and had helped transform them from a hard-charging nightclub band into a musical powerhouse and Africa-wide sensation. By the end of 1977, after an …
Various Artists “Southwest Side Story: Vol. 19”
There are hundreds of bootlegs out there to sate the ravenous soulero set, and so often they incorporate songs in the vast Numero catalog. Rather than beat them, Numbero joins them with our answer to the iconic East Side Story series. Eschewing our classic look and standard-bearing copious notes for …
Various Artists “Forward: 20 Years Rainy City Music 1996-2016” (Rainy City Music)
via SOTU: Brand new compilation LP celebrating 20 years of Rainy City Music in Manchester. This Deep House LP called ‘Forward’ features eight exclusive unreleased on vinyl tracks by various artists from the around the world. Detroit’s Wajeed aka Jeedo, Toto Chiavetta aka Who, NY poets Baba Israel and Bonafide …
Tradition “Captain Ganja and the Space Patrol” (1980, Bokeh Versions)
via Bokeh Versions: Years before Scientist and Jammy battled the space invaders, Tradition dreamt up a sci-fi jazz/dub odyssey in north London. “Captain Ganja and the Space Patrol” is one of the most singular dub albums that barely saw the light of day. A conscious effort to create a new …
Abdou El Omari “Nuits De Printemps” (1970, Radio Martiko)
via Radio Martiko: The third part of Abdou El Omari’s “Nuits Trilogy”. First issue of this previously unreleased Oriental psych monster recorded in 1970 from the Organ King of Casablanca, combining traditional rhythms with spaced out modern sounds! This album contains dazzling instrumentals spiced up here and there with some …
Geraldo Pino & The Heartbeats “Let’s Have A Party” (1974, Presch Media GmbH)
It’s no exaggeration to say that Geraldo Pino and his band the Heartbeats kickstarted the whole soul/funk/afrobeat scene in West Africa. Mixing highlife, funk and jazz, and using the latest equipment, they laid waste to all before them. In 1966 Fela Kuti was a jobbing musician, eeking out a living …
Janko Nilovic (Mad Unity) “Funky Tramway” (1975, Underdog Records)
via Phonica: Funky Tramway is often considered to be one of the rarest and most well developed of Janko Nilovic’s records, easily rivaling his famous cult album Rythmes Contemporains! Yet, apart from a few already compiled tracks and enthused descriptions on the web from lucky record hunters here and there, …
Zimba “Baleka” (1983, Nyami Nyami Records)
In the mid-70s, musician and songwriter Phil Arosa fled Southern Rhodesia’s apartheid (now Zimbabwe) to settle in the Netherlands and pursue his musical career under more mundane skies. Alongside his partner Marga, he started the band Zimba which played for ten years in clubs around the country. During those years, …